


It Was Only a Kiss

by sasswolf



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Alcohol, College, First Kiss, First Time, Goten POV, M/M, Will Add More Tags When I Update, bisexual Goten, bisexual Trunks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-07
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-07-07 18:31:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15913869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sasswolf/pseuds/sasswolf
Summary: Goten and Trunks find themselves pressured into giving a little show at a party. A few drinks later, and things get a little bit messier than intended.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was intended to just be a one-shot, but I got a little carried away with the build-up. I'm thinking this will end up being a two-parter, but I may also end up taking the story further!
> 
> Rated explicit for future chapter(s). This first chapter is pretty PG, minus some language.

"Just kiss him already!" he heard a shrill voice yell from somewhere on the other side of the room.

"Yeah, what the hell are you waiting for? You heard the girl! Quit being a pussy and give the ladies what they want!" he heard another, much more masculine voice call out. He recognized this one instantly; it was that jerk, Pancil. What he wouldn't give to throw a good ol' Super Saiyan punch at that guy's face right about now. If it weren't for the crowd of people around them (and the possible assault and/or murder charges) he surely would have.

On this night, himself and Trunks had found themselves at a party. This was nothing new, he'd been to plenty of parties in his time, both throughout high school and now during his time at college. He liked to go out and enjoy himself every once in a while, especially after a week of hard work (or half a week, or a day...). Trunks would refuse to accompany him a majority of the time. He knew that Trunks didn't like crowds and talking to people that he didn't know well, despite having what appeared to most other people to be exceptional people skills and an extremely likeable demeanor. Goten had known his friend long enough to understand that, in reality, he preferred to avoid these kinds of situations, and whenever he refused to join (because of course plenty of people would invite him to things all the time, and even Goten would ask occaisionally, just let him know that he was welcome) he didn't need any explanation from the other boy. It was just understood that parties were Goten's thing, and these times were one of the rare occaisions in which the two, who are so often in each other's company and have been since they were children, go their separate ways.

Obviously, tonight was different. After Pancil's persistant invitations (Goten saw it as something more akin to begging), Trunks had caved. Or at least, as Trunks had told Goten, decided to "let his hair down for once". Goten took this to mean that, mainly, Trunks wanted to take advantage of the free alcohol. Goten couldn't argue with that.

"Hey, if you don't hurry up and start sucking his face, I might just do it for you." The black-haired saiyan finally turned towards the voice to see Pancil give an exaggerated wink towards his best friend.

At this, Goten turned his attention to the lavender-haired boy sitting next to him. He looked extremely abashed: his cheeks were flushed red and he was rubbing the back of his neck. Still, he responded to Pancil's comment with a forced laugh and an awkward smile. Did he seriously think the guy was joking? How long was it going to take until Trunks realized that Pancil was a total creep? A creep that totally wanted Trunks' ass. Perhaps Goten was just being possessive, but the thought of that guy making moves on Trunks made his blood absolutely boil.

It was unsurprising, this sudden flare of hatred that Goten found himself experiencing every time Pancil was in the same room as him. He figured that it was only natural to hate someone who was so unashamedly predatory, with no sense of personal boundaries, and who refused to take responsibility for any of his problematic actions towards others. That, and it set his anger absolutely ablaze to see that predator come after Trunks. _His_ Trunks. The Trunks that, to himself at least, he had admittedly been attracted to since he was at least 11. His best friend of countless years who he would, quite literally and without hesitation, die for.

_"Or kill for..."_ he thought to himself, glaring daggers at the boy who sat accross the cramped room. Pancil, seeing Goten's stare, merely met his gaze with a pompous smirk. It was a challenge.

Not willing to take any more taunting from that asshole, Goten quickly lightened his expression and said with a voice much louder and boisterous than he intended to use, "Well you don't have to tell me twice!! C'mon, Trunks, lay it on me!" He leant his body slightly towards the other boy.

Instantly, Trunks' laughter died and his humbly bemused expression turned to that of shock as his head snapped in his friend's direction. His face was still flushed.

"W-wait, what?! Are you serious, Goten?! I thought it was a joke!" Quickly recovering and putting on a scowl.

"A joke? Who'd joke about kissing such a pretty face!" Goten took a chance to flash his own wink. Trunks blushed even deeper, continuing to scowl.

If he was being completely honest to himself, this was not how he would have chosen to kiss his friend. He would prefer to do it when they were alone, as he so often found himself imagining, under the stars, or maybe even on a romantic walk on the beach. In front of a group of mostly strangers who were egging him on? Not ideal. However, the satisfaction of getting one of the things that that he wanted the most in front of the guy he hated the most? That made it totally worth it.

Also, wasn't this a perfect excuse? He didn't need any bashful confessions of love. The girls wanted to see them make out, so he was only doing what they asked! _"It was for the chicks! Hey, you might even get some out of this! I was just being a good friend and wingman."_   he would say with a grin and a wink if questioned afterwards.

He lowered his voice and hid his whisper behind a hand as he leaned in closer to his friend. "I'm doing this for you, buddy. Girls totally dig this stuff! They'll go crazy!" he said.

"Dude, I don't care about any of the girls here!" Trunks whispered back. "I don't need any of them going crazy over me!"

Goten took in that comment with a tinge of jealousy. Of course Trunks had high standards. He's had girls (and guys) crawling after him ever since he hit puberty. He could afford to. It would be infuriating to Goten if it wasn't for the fact that he appreciated the boy's looks just as much, if not more, than all of them did. His handsome face. His perfect, soft hair. And not to mention that body, so strong and lean. It was a shame, really, that others probably couldn't even fathom the ammount of strength behind his form. Goten could. And he did, silently pleased with the fact that he was one of the few that was able to. He just wished that he could see that power used outside of a battle field or sparring match for once. Sometimes Goten, when sparring with his pal, would even let Trunks hit him on purpose, if only to imagine what other ways the other boy could employ that force on his body. Maybe it was a little messed up, but it helped him cope, and it gave him plenty to think about the next time he was alone in his own company, with his thoughts running wild and his hands doing the same.

"Then just do it for me, will ya?" Goten pleaded. He didn't elaborate. Trunks didn't need to know that "do it for me" didn't mean "help me get a girl". It actually meant "I really just want to kiss you".

"Well..." Trunks thought for a moment, his fingers moving to his mouth as he nervously clamped his teeth on a nail. With anyone else, Goten would find the habit disgusting, but generally he was pretty appreciative of whatever the other boy did with his mouth. So, he never complained.

After a moment of watching Trunks' pained face, Goten finally sighed. "Listen, I won't kiss you if you really don't want me to." Goten said. While he was desparate enough to do near anything, he wasn't going to force himself on the one person he trusted the most, and who he hoped trusted him just as much. If it wasn't meant to happen now, then, well, it wouldn't. He could try again later. Though he doubted whether a chance like this would ever arise again. Gone were the days when they were young and experimenting, when Trunks would approach a young, naive Goten with a "Hey, wanna try something cool? I saw the hero do this to a girl in a movie!" or "Listen, I saw this in a magazine. Wanna see if we can do it?" At the time, Goten was of course so young, he hardly knew what they were doing. It was always Trunks, the older boy, in the lead. Looking back, and looking at his current perdicament, he supposed that he should be greatful that he even got to do any of that at all with Trunks, even if they didn't know what they were doing and so, really, it didn't count.

Goten supposed that, because he was a boy and Trunks was generally the instigator in those instances, he _might_ be attracted to boys. However, as they grew up and dating became, well, a thing that they could actually _do_ if they wanted to, Trunks expressed intrest in girls and...that was it. As far as he knew, Trunks had never done anything with another guy besides him, and he had no reason to believe that he ever would.

Hence, his current Hell: being hopelessly infatuated and, quite frankly, downright _lustful_ for his best friend who probably would never look twice at someone of the same sex.

But then, suddenly, Trunks' voice pulled him out of his reverie.

"Wait! I just mean...are you sure? You're really okay with it?" Trunks' expression was softer now, his eyebrows raised as he looked at his dark-haired friend for answers.

Goten gave him a confused look, silently asking him to elaborate.

Trunks made his voice even lower, "You know, you don't have to do anything just because Pancil's antagoizing you. I understand you don't like the guy, but you shouldn't care what he thinks." He was also hiding his words behind a hand. He looked at Goten with genuine concern in his eyes.

_Geeze, isn't he taking this a little too seriously?_ Goten thought. _Literally what bad could come out of this? I get to piss off Pancil_ and _kiss the cutest guy in the room!_

He smiled and waved his hand. "Dude, don't worry about it. It's just a little bit of fun, I'm not doing it for anyone but me." _Shit! Was that revealing a little to much?_ He thought.

Trunks' expression eased and he gave a soft smile. "Oh, alright. If you're sure, then go ahead big guy." Goten could tell from the look on his friend's face that he was trying to look coy and confindent, but despite the smirk and steady voice, his cheeks were still flushed red and his posture was tense. Goten was used to Trunks' feigned bravado, a tactic he would often use in his childhood, particularly against strong enemies or scary adults.

Goten smiled wide, hardly able to hide how elated he actually was at having this chance. "Well like I said, you don't have to tell me twice..."

Goten quickly leaned in towards Trunks to the sound of jeers from the surrounding party-goers. He could hardly hear them, though. The sound of the blood rushing in his ears nearly drowned out the noise completely as he felt his lips make contact with the softest, most equisite surface he had ever felt touch his body. His head was buzzing. He couldn't believe this was happening. As much as he wanted to remain there, his mouth pressed against the mouth that he had been dreaming about in so many different exhillerating situations for literal years, he felt it best not to push his luck, or Trunks' patience, so he quickly pulled away after only a moment's contact. His heart was still racing when a voice made him look back over across the room.

"Are you serious right now?!" Pancil shouted, his fist clenched and raised. "What the _fuck_ was that? What is this, middle school?"He threw his hands in the air as a gesture of exasperation, albeit a clearly dramatic one.

Judging by the disapproving tone of the surrounding voices, Goten could tell that the others were also unimpressed. He looked over at Trunks to judge his reaction, only to find that his face was beet red and he was looking determinedly at the floor. Goten was surprised. That was so unlike him. Since when has Trunks been the bashful type?

"What do you mean?" Goten finally retorted, looking at Pancil. "What else do you want? You said you wanted a kiss, right? I'm not about to sit here and blow him or anything, ya perverts!" Really, what was their problem?

He suddenly felt someone push something into his right hand that he had just been holding outstretched for emphasis. It was a small glass, clearly filled with liquid. As he stared at his hand for a moment, still trying to register the random object placed on his being, he heard the voices of the people around him start to rise again.

"Yeah!! Drink up!"

"Let that loosen you up! Give us a real show!"

"C'mon, everyone get some!"

Goten turned his gaze towards Trunks, who appeared to have been given his own shot. With a quick look towards Goten and a shrug, he downed it, ignoring the chaser being handed to him by the person who appeared to have given him the glass moments before.

Also shrugging, Goten took his own shot into his mouth. As he felt the burning liquid slide down his throat, he instantly remembered why he generally avoids hard liquor. Not willing to look a fool in front of Pan-ass-cil, though, he grabbed the chaser being handed to him without a word and quickly washed away the unpleasantness that lingered on his taste buds.

Soon afterwards, there were more cheers, more shots, and more exchanged looks with Trunks. It wasn't long before Goten started to feel warmth creep up his neck and, looking at Trunks and his increasingly reddening cheeks, he assumed that the other boy must be feeling the effects of the alcohol in a similar way.

His head was feeling fuzzy, his vision was not quite right, and also, for some reason (that being the alcohol, he was fairly certain), he felt a whole lot more relaxed. Despite the crazy atmosphere and the asshole sitting accross from him (who was also beginning to look like he had had a few), he was starting to feel like he really could make this a good time. He had just kissed Trunks! And they all wanted him to do it again! So _why the hell not?_

With a grin that he couldn't seem to keep off his face, Goten looked over to his friend still sat beside him. Trunks was also grinning, and Goten assumed that he must be feeling pretty satisfied, having clearly accomplished his goal of getting drunk. Really, this was Goten's best chance.

With that thought, Goten reached over towards the lavender-haired boy and wrapped his hand around the back of his lean neck. With that little bit of help from the booze, he was ready to make this the best experience he could. He felt Trunks tense beneath his touch, and the boy turned to face him, still smiling contentedly to himself and likely unaware of what was about to happen in approximately 3...2...1...

Goten, perhaps a little more forcefully than he intended to, used his hand to guide Trunks' face towards his own, meeting him half-way. As they were mere inches apart, Goten saw Trunks' expression suddenly change to that of surprise before he quickly connected their lips. This was definitely different from the last kiss. There was nothing tentative about how Goten pressed their mouths together, somewhat greedily despite what little remained of his efforts to contain himself. Again, he revelled in the feeling of his best friend's softness, but somehow this extra pressure was causing what felt like electric shocks to shoot through his nerves and straight to his heart, quickening it's beating and making it difficult to breath. It felt like a dream.

To his surprise, he began to feel Trunks' lips move slightly against his own as the other boy pushed back into him. With the realization that the boy was actually _kissing him back_ , Goten was overcome with excitement. All efforts to hold back were thrown out the window as Goten greedily parted his lips to allow his tongue to swipe across Trunks' lips. To his elation, Trunks instantly opened his own mouth in response, allowing Goten's tongue to dive inside. He immediately noticed a sudden pressure on his thigh and a grip on his jacket: Trunks was holding onto him. He seemed a bit unsure, however, and it appeared that he was not quite able to decided if he wanted to keep his grip on Goten or not, squeezing and releasing nervously. Sensing the other's hesitance, and wishing to reassure him, yes, please _do_ touch me, Goten changed his own position, turning his body to face Trunks fully and moving his unoccupied hand to cup the right side of Trunks' face while the other slid a few inches higher to tug lightly at his hair. This position gave him extra leverage to press his tongue deeper, and he was able to feel the other boy's tongue up against is own, soft and slick and tasting _a million damn times better than he imagined_.

Trunks responded positively, moving his tongue to brush against the other's. Goten took this as a sign to proceed, and he began exploring as much of his friend's mouth as he could manage. It was not as smooth as he would have liked, his motions becoming downright sloppy at some points, but it was the alcohol that had allowed him to get this far in the first place, so he was willing to make the best of the situation.

Suddenly, as he savored the unique taste of Trunks' mouth, he had the overwhelming urge to taste the rest of him. He wanted to know what his skin tasted like. Was it as good as it smelled? Was it better? And was it just as soft and smooth as his lips? He had to find out. Removing his tongue and just slightly dragging his teeth along the other boy's bottom lip, he broke their kiss and, like a man on a mission, earnestly placed his mouth against the crook of Trunks' neck. He could tell that Trunks was surprised by this, as his other hand moved up to grip at Goten's jacket also and the rest of his body tensed. However, Goten was also surprised to hear...was that...a moan? Or would you call that a sigh? Or was that just a normal breath? But Trunks was gripping him harder now, and he even moved his hand to the back of Goten's neck, squeezing and pushing the boy closer to him, clearly asking for more (whether consciously so or not, Goten wasn't entirely sure).

Remembering what he had moved here for, Goten stuck out his tongue and licked a firm stripe up the other boy's neck. He tasted even better than he smelled. It was salty, and also entirely something else. He felt Trunks shiver beneath him, and his head started spinning.

However, his mind was abruptly brought back to reality by the sound of voices, the volume of which greatly increased in response to Goten's last move. Suddenly he was exceedingly aware of the fact that they were surrounded by people, and it appeared that Trunks, having been snapped into attention by Goten's sudden pause, was feeling the same way. Along with the jeering, Goten thought that he distinctly heard a male voice say "Okay, we get it...jeeze..."

Wanting more than anything for this not to end, but not willing to push Trunks further than he was willing to go, Goten reluctantly detached himself from the other half-Saiyan. Releasing his grip and sitting back, he put a little bit of distance between them so that he could get a proper look at Trunks. He was glad he did, because at least it was worth it to see him _like this_. His beautiful face flushed, lips swollen, hair askew and, _oh_ , was that a _hickey_? Did Goten do that? He couldn't help but plaster a huge grin on his face as he looked at his friend. Trunks met his gaze after a few moments of heavy breathing, returning his friend's smile with a short, breathy laugh.

They _had_ to do that again sometime. If they didn't, Goten was sure that he would go insane.

\-----

"Hey, my friend Clary's older sister goes to you guys' school, you know." said Bra nonchalantly as she stuck her fork into her pasta, pushing it around the plate.

It was the night after the party. Trunks, with Goten in tow, returned home in the early hours of that morning. The start to that day had been a difficult one, even for a Saiyan, and they had spent most of it playing video games and cradling horrible hangovers. It was the weekend, and Goten had no desire to go home and be pestered by his mother to do his homework, so he gratefully accepted Trunks' invitation to at least stay for dinner that night.

"Yeah?" Trunks responded after swallowing a large bite of food, not bothering to look up from his own plate that his Saiyan appetite was focused on clearing. "What's her name? Maybe I've seen her around." he finished before going in for another bite.

"It's Laney. You might've seen her at Pancil's party last night." she said, looking up slightly at the two older males sitting across from her.

Goten froze. There was something about that look that he didn't like.

Trunks also appeared to be taken aback. After a few moments, he still hadn't responded. At the sudden noticable silence, Bulma and Vegeta, the latter of whom having been primarily focused on his own meal, looked up curiously from their plates. Noticing this, Goten decided that he needed to act fast. Anyway, what were the chances that Bra knew anything about what had happened? This was just casual conversation, not blackmail. Though he did know that, unfortunately for them, Bra was a pro at both of those things.

"Hmmm...I don't remember meeting a Laney. What's she look like? Is she cute?" Goten chirped, maybe a little too enthusiastically.

Bra let out a laugh. "Ha! I'm not surprised if you don't remember. Apparently you two had enough to drink to fill a couple fish tanks." she snorted. She had a devilish grin on her face now. Goten saw her eyes flick quickly to her father and then back to the boys. _That bitch._

"What? Please. That's a bit of an exaggeration." Trunks scoffed. "We didn't have _that_ much, and I definitely remember everything." He continued, fiinally looking up from his plate and setting his fork down. Clearly he wasn't going to take any crap from his baby sister tonight.

"Oooh, then that means you were, like, totally there? Like, you were aware of exactly what you were doing all night?" She asked him with a smirk, gesturing with her spaghetti-covered fork.

Oh no. She _did_ know. And she was exposing their antics _in front of Trunks' parents_. That included the guy who would probably straight-up _murder_ Goten if he found out that his first-born had been _sucking face with his arch rival's son._

Vegeta was fully invested now. He had set down his own fork and was watching the exchange with a curious yet serious expression on his face and his arms crossed in front of him.

"U-uuh, yeah? Of course I was. It was totally fine." Trunks' voice faltered for a split second, but he quickly recovered and spoke with his usual air of confidence. Goten hoped that none of the others noticed.

At that, Vegeta spoke up at last. "What the _hell_ did you do, boy?" he said in a voice that had a slight tinge of exasperation that Goten hadn't heard since they were kids.

"Nothing, dad." Trunks answered. "Bra's just trying to start shit. She doesn't know what she's talking about." The lavender-haired Saiyan huffed and resumed eating his meal. Goten could tell that he was putting on an act of forced-calm, and he was just hoping that his parents and his sister couldn't see through it.

"I don't know what I'm talking about, huh?" She said, her tone getting testy. "Oh yeah? Then what's this that Clary sent me?"Bra went to reach for her phone and Goten saw Trunks go white. Goten himself had just felt his heartrate increase exponentially.

In an instant, Trunks used his quick reflexes, born of his Saiyan genes and endless training sessions with his father, to grab his sister's phone out of her hands. He quickly sat back, bringing the phone back to their side of the table, and Goten could see that Bra had already pulled up a chat. Without even having to really look, he could tell that the photos were incriminating, featuring a shock of bright lavender hair and a head of jet-black spikes positioned curiously close together. He could feel the flush creeping up his face and the sweat begin to form on his skin.

"What? What is it?!" Vegeta called out from the other end of the table, uncrossing his arms and beginning to rise from his seat as Bulma, who had remained silent so far, attempted to lay a hand on his arm. "Boy, if you've gone and done something stupid..."

"N-no! It's nothing, dad!! Bra, this is stupid!" Trunks said and Goten watched his fingers mess with the screen.

Bra, looking particularly displeased now, quickly stood up and reached for her phone from across the table. "You better not delete them, Trunks!" She yelled, nearly climbing over her plate to grab her phone.

Too late. Trunks appeared to have finished what he'd meant to do, because his fingers stopped moving and he tossed the phone in the direction of his sister, narrowly avoiding throwing it into her plate of food.

"Oooh, that's not suspicious at all! If you have nothing to hide, why'd you go and delete those pictures then, huh?!" she hollered, clutching her phone to her chest.

"I looked awful in them." he shrugged. Now that the immediate danger had passed, Goten figured it was easier for Trunks to maintain his acting.

But Bra wasn't giving up so easily. Goten saw her face flush, and he knew that she was ready to deliver the final blow.

"Yeah, I guess you did look pretty sloppy! Though I imagine you and Goten must be planning to get quite of bit more _kissing practice_ done with each other, so you'll be better in no time!" She put an emphasis on "kissing practice" just to make the details of the deed in question perfectly clear.

At this, both boys were in shock, and it showed on their faces. They froze, and slowly turned their eyes towards Bulma and Vegeta, dreading their reactions.

Vegeta's eyes initially went wide with surprise. But as the information slowly sunk in, his expression gradually changed from that of shock to one of rage. He was standing now, with his fists clenched at either side of his hips, not looking at his son and instead choosing to tilt his head downwards. Eyes closed, it was as if he were using all of his energy to stop himself from exploding.

"Boy..." He said slowly, and Goten understood that he was talking to him. "Am I understanding this correctly? Were you-" and he stopped to take a deep breath, "Were you at this party... _sucking face_...with _my son_?" He stopped speaking, and Goten had the distinct impression that the reason the man's voice was so low and calm was because, if it wasn't, he would be screaming. He continued. " _My_ son? Within whom my own blood runs, the royal blood of the Saiyans, a bloodline so ancient and so pure...?" This was going a little further than Goten expected it to, and he really didn't understand what Vegeta was getting at now.

He looked over to Trunks, wanting to see how he was reacting to the situation. He was surprised to see Trunks so pale again, and...shaking? Was he _shaking_? He saw Goten looking and turned his face away to hide it from him, but not before he noticed the terribly pained expression on it. Goten looked over to Bra, who he did not expect to see also looking concernedly at her older brother. She made nervous eye contact with Goten, then glanced at her father who was still standing silent, waiting for an answer.

Finally, it was Bra who broke the silence. "L-listen, pa..." she said, turning towards her father. "I-it's not that big of a deal. I was only teasing..."

Vegeta raised his hand, effectively silencing his daughter. As he lowered it again, he raised his head to look directly a Goten.

"Well?" he growled impatiently. "Give me an answer, boy, or you're going to regret it."

_I think I'm going to have a lot of regret either way..._ Goten thought. He looked back over at Trunks, who was still facing the other direction. He swallowed, and slowly turned back around.

Suddenly, before Goten had a chance to answer the terrifying, full-blooded Saiyan prince before him, he felt a pressure on his hand.

In an instant, he felt himself being pulled with impressive force. If he were fully human, his wrist probably would have been dislocated. It was Trunks, dragging him out of the room with inhuman speed, clearly desperate to escape. They reached the nearest door, which fortunately wasn't far from the dining table, and Trunks took to the air, leaving Goten, who was still attached to him by the wrist, no choice but to follow.


	2. Not Afraid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am soooo sorry that this took so long. I started this fic before I started my new job and before a lot of health issues started popping up, so I was basically only able to work on this chapter little by little. I still hope you enjoy it! It's maybe not so long or exciting, but I felt like it was something important that needed to happen before we really get into it!
> 
> I apologize in advance for the superfluous amounts of awkward laughing and smiling, but these boys are very awkward and smiley, so it was only fitting!
> 
> I also want to say that this is not beta'd, and I apologize for any mistakes!

"Wait!" Goten called out to the half-Saiyan in front of him. As he spoke, he released his wrist from the other boy's grip and instead grasped his hand. He could feel it trembling.

"Where are we going?! I mean, I understand wanting to escape the situation bu-"

He suddenly felt something wet flick his face. Wiping his cheek with his free hand, he looked around and above them for the source of the droplet. It appeared to be a perfectly clear night, however. Not a cloud in the sky. He felt a few more drops hit him before he glanced in Trunks' direction. In a moment, realization struck, and he felt his heart drop into his stomach.

"T-trunks?" He said in a quiet voice that was barely above a whisper.

Trunks remained silent, focusing his gaze straight ahead. Goten had no idea where he was planning on going.

"Trunks, a-are you okay?" He tried again, this time squeezing the hand that connected him and his friend.

There was still no verbal response from the other boy, but Goten did feel the lavender-haired Saiyan give his own hand a quick squeeze in answer. Goten furrowed his brow and bit his lip in worry. He couldn't think of anything to say, so he instead ran his thumb gently against his friend's hand, hoping that he'd find at least some comfort in the gesture. They continued to fly in silence, and soon, Goten felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He could hear Trunks' phone going off as well. They both ignored them, however, remaining hand-in-hand until Goten started to see the view of Mt. Paozu approaching. Trunks was heading towards the very top.

Goten was suddenly hit with a vivid memory.

_It was of a time from their childhood. They were still quite young, himself probably being no older than 9 or 10, and they had run off towards the top of the mountain to play or train (back then, those two things were often one in the same). They would come here all the time. There were no adults to tell them what they could or couldn't do, no weird strangers who would look at them judgmentally, or with fear on their faces. Here, they could just be themselves, and everything that happened there on Mt. Paozu was just between them._

_It was here that, one late-summer day, Trunks had brought Goten to show him something. He wouldn't say what it was at first, despite Goten's persistance questioning during entire trip there. Trunks insisted that he couldn't say anything until they were sure that no adults were watching. This made Goten a little nervous. He never like breaking rules, especially if his mother found out about it. Still, he couldn't help but also feel terribly excited. Trunks always knew how to have fun._

_Goten found his face heating up as he recalled the image of a young Trunks opening his backpack and pulling out a stack of magazines. "I found these at Muten Roshi's place.." he began to say. "They were shoved way in the back of a closet, so I figured he'd probably forgotten about them, anyway...." Goten remembered how his eyes went wide as Trunks set the stack down on the grass and opened up the magazine that was sitting on top..._

They were about to land now, and the black-haired boy was pulled out of his thoughts by the need to touch down safely. He stumbled slightly as the two of them reached the ground, hands still gripping each other tight.

They stood there, silently, not moving from where they landed. Trunks still wasn't looking at him, but he was still shaking, and now under the bright moonlight of the nearly-full moon, Goten could see a trail of tears shining on the other boy's cheek.

"Trunks..." he said softly, not taking his eyes off of his friend. "Please tell me what's wrong..."

He saw Trunks swallow hard between shaky breaths. Finally, he spoke. His voice was uneven and croaky.

"Dad's mad.." he said.

Goten waited for him to continue, but he didn't seem to know what to say.

"Well..." he said. "Yeah, I mean...he gets mad a lot, doesn't he? That's kind of his thing. He's the angry one."

"Yeah, but..." Trunks seemed as if he was still struggling to find words. "I've always been worried that..." he broke off. Whatever he wanted to say, it was clear that he was reluctant to say it.

"Worried that what?" Goten pressed. "He'd be angry with you for 'choosing a mate unworthy of your royal Saiyan lineage' or something? Cause if you ask me, I seriously doubt there's anyone in the entire universe that he wouldn't complain about. Don't take it personally, man." he ended with a little chuckle, hoping it would ease some of the tension.

It didn't work, though. If anything, Trunks' shoulders appeared to rise even higher as his whole body tightened. Goten saw that he was clenching his jaw exceptionally hard.

After a moment, Trunks spoke again. "No, I know that..." he said, voice still fragile.

"Then what's the problem? What are you so worried about?" Goten asked. When Trunks didn't respond after a moment, Goten sighed. He released his grip on the other boy's hand and placed his hands on Trunks' shoulders to gently turn him around. Now face-to-face, Goten continued.

"Listen, Trunks..." he said in a gentle voice that was quite unlike his usual tone. "Whatever it is that's bothering you, you can tell me..." He could see his friend's tear-stained face clearly now, and he felt his stomach clench again. This was not how he wanted to see his best friend and partner-in-crime. He couldn't ever remember seeing him look like this before. It was almost unbearable.

"No one's here but us." He continued. "You know me, man. You can tell me anything, and I would never think badly of you." He looked into Trunks' eyes, pleading.

Trunks considered Goten's words for a moment, appearing to scan the black-haired Saiyan's face with his shining eyes. Eventually, he took a deep breath and sighed, turning his gaze towards the ground.

"It doesn't feel like that big of a deal to me. I just knew it would be a big deal to him..." he said, his voice still weak. "And like..." he hesitated for a moment. "I know you're a pretty chill guy, but I just...we're so close and uh...we've done...but that was a long time ago...but I guess now it's not...ah..." Trunks was having trouble finding words still, but Goten waited patiently for him to get his thoughts together. He still couldn't figure out what he was trying to say.

"I just mean...I do want to tell you, but I also don't want you to be weirded out, or feel like I'm crossing any boundaries..." he trailed off, still avoiding Goten's gaze.

"What? Dude, we don't have boundaries." Goten laughed. Though he quickly regretted it, realizing that maybe they were probably past the point of making light humor. His last attempt only seemed to do the opposite of what he had intended, after all.

But he was suprised when Trunks actually gave him a small smile. "Yeah, you're right about that. I guess that's exactly what put us in this situation in the first place, right?" he said, his voice a little stronger now. It took Goten a moment to realize what he was talking about, but he soon felt heat rise in his cheeks. They hadn't actually talked with each other about what they had done at the party until now.

"Right, so..." Trunks took another deep breath as if he were screwing himself up for something. "I'm just worried about my dad knowing that...I'm into guys." he finished, the last of his words spoken so quietly that they were barely audible.

Goten had to take a moment to register the words his friend had just said, both because of the low volume in which they were spoken, and the fact that he had only ever heard them in his far-fetched fantasies.

"Y-you're..." he started to say, before the other boy interjected.

"I-I mean! I like girls, too! But, I just...you know. Dudes are...also an option..."

Suddenly Goten's heart was racing. All this time, he had assumed that the one person who he would give anything to be with was too straight to ever want him back. But now he was being told that he actually had a chance! If this wasn't such a wonderful bit of news, he would be feeling quite regretful and a little peeved at himself for having taken this long to figure it out. All that time wasted pining, when he could have been asking to kiss Trunks at every damn party!

After a moment of silence, Goten realized that Trunks was looking at him with a confused expression. It was then that he noticed that he was smiling from ear to ear.

Furiously trying to think of what to say, he could only do what he does best. A bit of incessant rambling.

"Dude! That's it? I thought it was something serious!" he laughed, still grinning and squeezing Trunks' shoulder. Trunks made a bit of a hurt face, and Goten quickly spoke again.

"No, don't get get me wrong! I get that you're worried about what your dad will think! But I'm pretty sure that the rest of your family would be pretty cool with it. And dude, so am I." He grinned again, this time, his smile turning more gentle.

At that last sentence, Trunks' eyes went wide for a moment, then, with a big sigh, he finally released his tensed shoulders and closed his eyes with a smile spreading on his face. He looked as if the weight of the world had just been lifted off of his shoulders. Goten felt himself relax at that same moment, so grateful that the other Saiyan was now calm. The tears had stopped flowing, and he noticed that his friend had also stopped shaking when he reached over and grabbed his hand saying, "Thanks, Goten..."

With his other arm, Trunks wiped his tear-stained face with the sleeve of his jacket. "If I'm being honest, it's your opinion that I care about the most. Dad can rot, for all I care..." he chuckled, still holding onto Goten's hand. Goten had a feeling that that statement was only half true.

"Do you really think your dad will care that much about you liking boys?" Goten asked, subconsciously gripping his friend's hand more firmly. "I've never heard him complain about queer people. And I've heard him complain about a lot of things. It's basically all that he does." Goten continued, his gaze remaining on the lavender haired boy's face. The moonlight was reflecting on the soft smooth skin of his cheekbones, clinging to the few wet patches that remained under his pink and puffy eyes. He couldn't help thinking it; he looked beautiful. His heart hurt a little at the thought. What if Trunks really did have a reason to be worried?

"Well, he's always going on about the bloodline." Trunks answered. "Lately, he's even started saying that I should be thinking about 'producing worthy offspring'." he said with a grimace. Goten looked back at him with wide eyes. Noticing his surprise, Trunks elaborated, "Not that he thinks I should be having any kids soon or anything! I think it's more like a warning. He may not be from Earth, but I'm sure he's familiar enough by now with college culture, if you know what I mean." he ended with a bit of an embarrassed laugh while he brought this tanned hand up to rub the back of his neck.

"Ah, so he doesn't want you knocking up just any old floozy." Goten laughed. "It has to be a _worthy_ floozy."

Trunks snorted at that. "Yeah, well. You get my point. He wants grandchildren."

"But can't Bra do the job? You shouldn't be the only one responsible for carrying on the bloodline." Goten said with furrowed brows.

"Bra isn't interested in fighting. She can't even go Super Saiyan. Maybe he doesn't think her offspring would be as strong..." He wondered aloud.

"Or maybe you're just overthinking things." Goten responded. "You tend to do that a lot. Just like when you thought I didn't want to kiss you." He said the last comment with a chuckle, but then regretted letting the thought slip out of his mouth. He was still unsure if this was safe territory.

But Trunks just laughed, and this time it was so big and hearty that he actually threw his head back, silky lavender strands capturing the shimmering light from the sky. This made Goten smile wider than anything. His heart suddenly felt as light as a feather at the sound.

"You really enjoyed that, huh?" Trunks said, his free hand coming to rest on his stomach where it clearly ached from laughing. The other hand was still in Goten's grasp. "I could tell. You weren't exactly being subtle."

"Maybe you could blame the alcohol for that." Goten answered, still smiling. Or maybe your stupidly beautiful face. And skin. And body...Goten almost physically shook his head to clear away the dangerous thoughts that were quickly forming. Instead, he was brought to attention by his friend's response.

"Oh really? Are you sure you wouldn't enjoy another go? When you're standing here all sober?" The older boy smirked at him.

Goten's brain froze. Did he just ask for some more kissing? Right here? Right now? Does Trunks want to kiss him?

It was apparent that Trunks noticed his friend's sudden dazed expression by the way he suddenly pulled his hand away and turned towards Goten with his hands up and a bit of panic on his face. "I-it was a joke! Obviously I'm kidding! L-like I said, I don't want it to be weird...o-or anything..." He look flustered and his cheeks were red, just like they were at the party.

_Was it really a joke?_ Goten thought. _It sure didn't sound like it._ He had to know. He plastered a huge grin back on his face and responded.

"Pfff! What, so you're gonna take your offer back? What a stinge!" Goten said teasingly, poking Trunks in the ribs. "Trying to pretend like you didn't enjoy it too...it sure didn't _sound_ like that." He winked. Boom.

Maybe he was pushing his luck, but now that he had come to the realization that he had always had a chance, he figured he would rather take a risk than waste any more time.

Trunks entire face was fuchsia now. It was adorable. Goten couldn't stop smiling.

"W-well I was surprised, that's all! Since when have you actually known what you're doing when it comes to kissing? I remember a few years back, just here on this mountain-" Trunks stopped suddenly. Goten assumed that the memory his friend was recalling was making his heart beat just as fast as his own heart was. That would explain how his cheeks were able to remain so vibrant.

It was now or never. Clearly the more they talked, the more Trunks was becoming defensive. He had to make his move.

"Yeah, I remember. Now what did we do? I think you were inspired by some action move you saw at the movie theater that day. Some scene where the hero finally saved his girlfriend." He looked Trunks directly in his eyes, and the other boy stopped trying to avoid his gaze. He continued, stepping a little closer, "Didn't it go a little something like this?"

Before he knew it, he was pressing his lips to Trunks'. It was nothing like the night before. He wasn't drunk, for one, and he had total control of his body. So he let their mouths meet gently, as he grabbed both of his friend's hands in his own. Trunks instantly relaxed against him, and he felt him sigh through his nose. Goten took his time, savoring the soft contact, so happy that this was happening but, more than anything, grateful for the gentle smile that he felt on the other boys lips.

They parted after a bit, both still smiling, eventually letting their eyes meet. Trunks didn't need to say anything. Goten could tell just by he look in his eyes that he was grateful. He wasn't so afraid anymore, and neither was Goten.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Can anyone guess who this Pancil guy is? Is it obvious, or no?? You'll find out hopefully in the next chapter!
> 
> I also want to say that Vegeta isn't meant to be the bad guy! You'll see what I mean soon!


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